Manufacture of wooden heels



Aug. 10 192s. 1,595,976

A. HAUCK MANUFACTURE OF WOODEN HEELS Filed July 25, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 1 w. a I$ INVENTOR A. HAUGK MANUFACTURE OF WOODEN HEELS Filed July 25, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 "Will.

Aug. 10 1926. 1,595,976

7 HAUCK MANUFACTURE OF WOODEN HEELS 4 Filed July 25.. 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 r mvgmon Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW HAUCK, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAMSIBURGH WOOD HEEL COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MANUFACT'ORE OF WOODEN HEELS.

Application filed July 25, 1925. Serial No. 46,071.

This invention relates to the operation of turning wooden heels. As heretofore practiced, the turning operation involves the clamping of the heel block in a jack and shifting the jack to carry the heel block first into engagement with one cutter and then reversely to carry the opposite side of the block into engagement with a second cutter. These two-spindle machines as they are called, have become the standard in'the manufacture of wood heels and this despite the fact that it is difllcult and practically impossible to set two spindles and two sets of cutter blades so that they will cut the opposite sides of a heel block exactly alike and merge the cuts smoothly at the back of the heel 1 ()neof the primary objects of this invention is to accomplish the turning of wooden heels completely in a single spindle machine and with one and the same set "of cutters.

Other objects of the invention are to turn wooden heels With a continuously smooth exterior and without the usual ridge'such as is left at the back of the heels turned in the standard two-spindle machine; and in addition to effecting savings in the cost and complication of the machinery to efi'ect economies in the cost and time "of operation and enable the use of ordinary labor .in place of the highly skilled labor required for the attention and operation of the two spindle ma hines.

The fore oing and other desirable objects are attained in this invention by certain novel features of construction, combination, relation of parts and special operation, as will be clear from the following specific-ation.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification illustrate a practical embodiment of the invention, wherein: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a single spindle wood heel turning machine embodying the rinciples of this invention.

Figure 2 is a roken top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a detached plan view of the cutter head.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view otthe holder as on the plane of line 44' of Figure 3.

Figures 5,6, 7 and 8 are somewhat diagrammatic views illustrating successive stages in the turning of the heel.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic plan illustrating the condition of the cut at the half-way I one spindle in this invention and the smoothly turned heel free of any ridges or breaks in the continuity of surface.

The machine illustrated has a single upright spindle 15 journaled in upper and lower bearings 16, 17 and shown driven by a directly connected electric motor 18. Cooperating with this one spindle is a heel jack 19 shown as having a clamping head 20 riding on an upper track 21 and a post 22 riding on a lower track 23.

The cutter consists in the illustration of i a series of three cutter blades 24 secured by bolts 25 to the flanges 26 of the cutter head 27 fixed on the upper end of the spindle. In addition to the extra blade this cutter differs from the regular or standard cutter of the two-spindle machines by operating on an are A of considerably greater radius R, as illustrated diagrammatically in the comparative Figures 9 and 11. Also in this single spindle machine the tips of the blades are given an outward hook substantially to the extent indicated b the broken line 28 in Figure 11 so as to produce more of a scraping cut and hence are less liable to dig into the wood when working across or against the grain.

The effect of the greater radius is especially important as will be apparent from consideration of Figures 9 and 11. in the standard practice, the diameter of the cutter head is usuall approximately four and three-quarter inc es. In the new, single spindle machines now in operation, this radius is practically doubled, the cutter heads being about ei ht inches in diameter. With the. shorter ra ins the arc is smaller and this lesser more acute curve brings the ends of the grain into successively greater prominence where they present such angles to the cutter blade that any further turning of the block will cause the blades to dig in and split the block or tear it out of the jack.

The greater radius of the cutters in Figure ll creates a shallower or fiatter'curved cut in which the successive ends of the grain do not stand out in such relief and so actually offer a greatly diminished resistance to the cutter blade. Also, the longer are produces a greater length of cut so that with the heel blocks in the same relative positions shown in Figures 9 and 11, the new cutter will have cut clear across the back and taken away part of the far corner of the block while in the standard machine only the back portion of the block will be cut and the entire corner portion will not have been touched. With this relatively fiat cut and the more scraping angle of the blades, the chips are smaller even though the aggregateresult due to the longer cut is greater.

This new three bladed cutter may be rotated at substantially the same speed as the standard two-spindle cutters but in some instances it has been found desirable to opcrate them at a somewhat higher speed of rotation.

In the. first stage of the turning operation, indicated in Figure 5, the block 29 is presented to the cutter, as shown in broken lines, and then rotated to finish from the breast backward along the first side 30. The continuance of this movement carries the cut across the back and takes away the main part'of the corner of the block, as at 31 in Figure 6. In the-third quarter of the operation indicated in Figure 7, the cutter is operating againstthe grain but as most of the corner has been removed in the preceding stage, and the blades have a scraping ellect, removing but small chlps, this portion of the cut is eli'ected without tearing or biting into the grain. From this stage the cutters are working with the grain and finish oil the far edge of the heel at 32 while so cutting with the grain, leaving a smooth clean finish.

Th operation is continuous and uninter ruptcd and all the operative need do is to feed the work to the cutter and turn it to extend the cut from the first side clear around to the opposite side of the block, the jack and the supporting tracks taking care of the angles necessary to produce the desired contour of cut.

This invention, it will be seen, may eliminate the need for the specially skilled operatives hereto t'ore required in the wood heel turning art because with this new ma,- chine it is simply necessary to clamp the block in the jack and then after advancing one side of the block to the cutter, to swing the jack in just the one direction to carry the cut continuously around to the far side of the block. The saving in time over the old two-spindle method, because of the uninterrupted character of the operation, is considerable. Further, economies in'time, labor and final cost, result from the fact that the turned surface of the heel is completely finished in the single turning operation so that no subsequent'sanding or finishing is required to remove a ridge or other cutter marks such as left by the two-spindle machines.

The ridge left at the joinder of the two side cuts is recognized as a characteristic of heels turned on the standard two-spindle machines and the removal of this ridge in the subsequent sand papering operation usually leaves a flat streak, characterizing the finished product. The new heels are distinguished. from both by the absence of either a ridge or a flat and. so are distinguished by the smooth continuity of the turned surface. This smooth unbroken surface has the additional advantage that the cover which is stretched over the heel will fit smoothly without leaving any ridges or grooves such as usually shown through on the two-spindle heels. I

The tracks which guide the jack are shown as constructed as in the patent to W. F.

Edson No. 25,326, patented Sept. 6, 1859 so that they may be raised and lowered to act as cams for tilting the jack in various ways to produce different heel shapes. The cutting edges of, the blades are given a shape to produce the desired contour and a special feature in this connection is that the greater radius of the cutter head and the inclining of the tail ends of the cutter blades inward toward the center enable the use of longer blades and hence provide for the regrinding of the blades a great number of times. This larger size cutter head also acts with a fly wheel effect, steadying the running of the machine and preventing vibration.

The form or pattern plate 33 carried by the jack and the gage or guide 34 with which it cooperates are both designed for the complete rotation of the jack about the cutter, that is. to carry the block completely around from one side to the other and in be made use of for producing difl'erent contours. The extension of the cut completely from. the first side around the back and to the end of the opposite side of the heel has the effect not only of shaping but also of actually laying the grain all in the same direction so that the surface is perceptibly smoother and less porous than produced by two-spindle machines with their two independent sets of sequentially operating cutters.

The extension of the cut continuously in one direction is of advantage also in cases where the heel is applied to a sanding machine because the sanding machine rotates in the same direction as the single cutter of this new turning machine and so has the effect of further smoothing and layingthe grain of the wood all in the same direction. The sanding operation, however, is not necessary for ordinary purposes with this invention and is only employed where an extra smooth surface is desired.

The use of a single cutter for the complete turning operation enables'the employment or" simple fiat tracks for the jack both at the top and the' bottom. Thisis another great advantage over the two-spindle machines which require the upper and lower tracks to be shaped as cams to raise and lower and tilt the jack at' different periods in its travel with respect'to the two spindies and furtherre uire the filing of these tracks by hand to give them the initial shape and to keep them in trim as they wear down. The straight edge tracks employed in this machine require no shaping or filing adjustments and as they can be inexpensively produced they may be simply thrown away as they become worn and'be replaced by new fiat tracks. Furthermore, these fiat faced tracks can be made as true arcs'of a circle, both top and bottom, having as centers, a point or points approximating the cutting line of the cutter and these fiat faced part circular tracks require less time and care in ad'ustment than the special cam tracks of t e two-s indle machines.

lit-will be clear rom the foregoing that various modifications and changes may be resorted to without departure from the true spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter broadly claimed and it should be understood, furthermore, that the terms ens-- ployed herein are used in a descriptive rather than in a limiting sense, except for such limitations as may be imposed by the state of the prior art.

a What is claimed is:

1. The process of turning a' completely finished wooden heel in a single continuous operation which includes relatively shifting a wooden heel block and a continuously operating cutter with respect to the center of the block with a continuous uninterrupted movement while the block and cutter are engaged to extend the cut continuously from the breast end of one side of the block around the back of the block to the breast end of the opposite. side of the block.

2. The process of turning a completely finished wooden heel in a single continuous operation which comprises shifting a wooden heel block with respect to a continuously operating cutterwhile engaged with the cutter and with a continuous uninterrupted movement to extend the cut continuously from the breast end at one side of the-block around the back of the block 'to the breast end at the opposite side of the block.

3. The process of turning wooden heels which comprises rotatin a series of contour cutter blades on a. att'er arc than the standard practice in wood heel turning machines to produce a flatter shallower cut with smaller chips and rotating the heel block completely around from one side across the end to the opposite side while in contact with the cutter to thereby turn a complete smoothly continuous surface free of ridges and requiring no secondary finishing treat- I diameter than the cutter heads of stand- I ard two spindle wood heel turning machines so as to make a wider and flatter out than such standard cutters, a jack for "holding the heel block and cooperating pattern an guide means for directing said jack in a predeterminedly varying compound arcuate and rotary movement about the spindle from one'side to the opposite side of the sameand sufficient in extent to carry the block in the jack from a position at one side of the spindle with the first corner of the block presented to the cutter, successive- 5 ly and continuously along the first side and around the end of the block to the opposite side and to the final corner directly opposite the first corner. I

'5. The process of turnin'g wooden heels which comprises traversing a succession of cutter blades in. a flatter arc than the cutter blades of standard two-spindle wood heel turning machines and relatively rotating a wooden heel block about said cutter from one side, around the back to the opposite side of the block and thereby producing a continuously smooth turned heel contour with the grain laid all in one direction.

6. The process of turning wood heels with a continuously smooth contour which coinprises advancing one front corner of the heel block to a rotating cutter and then con tinuously turning the heel block to extend the cut from the front corner along the first side across the back and along the opposite side to the other front corner of the block.

7. A single spindle wood heel turning machine comprising an upright spindle, a cutter head carried thereby, a series of more than two cutter blades on said head having their cuttin edges at a radius greater than the standar two-spindle wood heel turning machine, a jack and guide means for the same extending about the spindle from one side clear to the other side, enabling the shifting of the jack to carry a heel block clamped therein from a position with one side of the block presented to the cutter uninterruptedly around to a position with the opposite side of the block presented to the cutter.

8. A wood heel turning machine comprising a single upright spindle, a cutter head carried thereby, cutter blades carried by said head, a heel block jack, substantially semi-circular upper and lower tracks extending about the single cutter spindle and having substantially flat upper faces for' guiding the jack in a continuous swin ing movement about the cutter from one si e to the other side ofthe same, a form carried by the jack and a guide for said form extending about the front of the spindle from one side to the opposite side of the same to cooperate with the form in the turning of the heel block from the first side clear around to the opposite side of the same.

9. A wood heel turning machine com prising a single upright spindle, a cutter head carried thereb cutter blades carried by said head, a heel block jack, substantiall semi-circular upper and lower tracks exten ing about the single cutter spindle and hav-. ing substantially flat upper faces for guiding the jack in a continuous swinging movement about the cutter from one side to the other side of the same and a pivotal mounting for the spindle adjacent the cutter head for enabling tilting adjustments of the cutter with respect to the substantially flat tracks.

10. The process of completely turning a wooden heel in a single operation which comprises providing a cutter operatin on a flatter arc than the cutters of standar two spindle wood heel turning machines, ad

vancing one side of a wooden heel block to engagement with said cutter and then turning said block while so engaged with the cutter to extend the cut continuously from said first side of the block about one end and along the opposite side of the block.

. 11. The process ofcompletely turning a wooden heel in a single operation which com prisesrelatively shifting a cutter and a wooden heel block to effect engagement with the cutter cuttin against the grain of the wood at one si e of the block and then further relatively shifting the block and cutter while so engaged to extend the cut.

of the cutter and with one continued movement to extend the cut continuously along said first side of the block, across and about the back of the block and along the opposite side to the front end of said opposite side.

13. The process of turning a finished wooden heel in a single continuous operation which comprises advancing the breast end of one side of a wooden heel block to a cutter rotating in a direction to out against the grain of the wood and rotating the block thus engaged with the cutter in the direction corresponding to the direction of rotation of the cutter in one continued movement sufficient to extend the out along said first side of the block, about the end of the block and along the opposite side of the block to the breast end of such opposite side and finishing the cut with the.cutter working with the grain of the wood at the end of the turning operation.

14. A single spindle wood heel turning machine comprising an upright cutter spindle, a cutter head on said spindle of larger diameter and having a greater number of cutters than the cutter heads of standard two spindle wood heel turning machines, a jack for holding a wooden heel block, substantially semi-circular upper and lower tracks extending about said cutter spindle to opposite sides of the same and having substantially flat upper edges for guiding the jack about the cutter spindle from one side to the opposite side of the same, a guide extending about the spindle from one side to the other side of the same anda form carried by the jack and ridin over said guide from one side of the spin le around to the opposite side of the same.

15. In a Wood heel turning machine, a the tilting adjustments of the spindle, aform cutter spindle mounted for tilting adjustcarried by the jack and a guide for said form ments and provided with means for rotating extending about both sides of the spindle .the same irrespective of such tilting adjustand adjustable independently of both the 5 ments, :1 jack forholding a Wooden heel tilting ad'ustments of the spindle and the 15 block, substantially semi-circular flattracks tilting ad]ustments of the tracks. extending about said spindle and adapted In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set to carry the jack from one side clear around my hand this 23rd day of July, 1925. to the opposite side of the spindle, said '1 tracks adapted to be tilted independently of ANDREW HAUCK. 

